Outside of the Lines: Seattle, WA

When I was a child, I loved art but despised coloring. I did not enjoy having my colors both dictated and contained by the context of the printed page. More than neatly covering the page with fields of red, yellow, and blue, I liked the simple act of coloring, the tactile sensation of the crayon against the slightly rough surface of the paper itself.

As Leatherfolk, we exalt the tactile at the expense of conformity to the neat lines of society's definitions. We enjoy coloring outside of these lines in our play. And many of us extend this to our relationships, forming tribes of seemingly disparate individuals.

The Northwest LeatherSIR/Leatherboy/Community Bootblack Contest on September 3 - 5 had a field of six contestants, each unique not only in terms of experience, but also in terms of social identification. As I judged the contest, I watched as these men melded together into a cohesive unit. Rather than competing against each other, I saw each man join with the other to form a temporary community.

I, too, joined in the spirit doing an encore presentation of the fantasy that I did in San Francisco in July. Instead of a man in the submissive role, I decided to use a woman, Ms. Oregon State Leather Michelle Bishop. Seen through the sensibilities of the feminist lens, the fantasy was all wrong, red riding hood feeling the bite of the Wolf's single tail and then, force-fucked up the ass by His huge phallus. But experienced in the context of community, it was very right.

As a judge, I especially enjoyed the fantasies of the contestants. Each SIR and boy had H/his own take on the Blue Collar theme. Darian included his penchant for motorcycles. Stan's fantasy set a burly foreman against himself and his handsome, real life boy, ending in a passionate kiss. And Enrique staged an all out brawl between a gang of workers.

Like the Sirs, the boys' fantasies couldn't have been more different. element became a Mary Tyler Moore obsessed shop clerk intent on bringing his Daddy home a handsome gift. And the ever dapper kent in suit and tie manipulated his blue collar workers into satisfying his endless appetite for men.

While all the fantasies were quite different, they all incorporated an element of play. Play brought the contestants together after the contest, too. A dungeon party that continued until 3 am!

Leather contests and play spaces share the ability to bring Leatherfolk together. By coming together, we negate the lines that have been drawn by society to divide us. While some contestants think that the point of a contest is to beat out their opponents, these men left the beating until after the contest. And that's the way it should be!

Congratulations Sir Darian, boy element, and Bootblack Dylan.